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With
the formation of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment in 1970 the ancient
County of Lancashire was at last represented in the British Army by a
single County Regiment.
Inaugurated at
Connaught Barracks, Dover on 25th March 1970, The Queen's Lancashire
Regiment consisted of two battalions, the 1st and the 4th(Volunteer),
which was a unit of the Territorial Army.
Through it's
antecedent corps, the new regiment could trace its history back in an
unbroken line to the creation of the modern British Army in 1689. It
carried more battle honours on its Colours than any other infantry unit
in the Army, and also was able proudly to claim that it was the only
regiment, from any army, ever, which had fought on every one of the
World's inhabited continents.
Only six weeks
after formation, the 1st Battalion was on active service in Northern
Ireland. In all the Regiment was to complete a total of nine
operational tours in the Province, in the course of which eight soldiers
were killed in action.
The Regiment's
contribution to the maintenance of peace during the Cold War included
both the 1st and 4th Battalions. The 1st Battalion served two tours of
duty in West Germany in the mechanised infantry role, and throughout its
existence the 4th(Volunteer) Battalion was committed to a NATO
reinforcement role. Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the
disintegration of the Warsaw Pact, and as if to set an appropriate and
fitting seal on this critical period of World history, the 1st
Battalion was the last British battalion to serve in Berlin 1992-94.
Out of area
tasking took the 1st Battalion to Cyprus for three tours of duty, which
included service with the United Nations. A company was deployed to the
Falkland Islands in the aftermath of the 1982 conflict, and the
battalion was in Bosnia in 1996 as part of the NATO forces
From June to November
2003 the 1st Battalion was deployed to Iraq in the immediate aftermath
of the Coalition invasion. Given responsibility for peace enforcement
and restoration of civil infrastructure in the centre and greater part
of Basra, Iraq's second city, the battalion was later recognised as the
best British unit then deployed for its outstanding performance during a
five-month tour of unrelenting danger and violence. It suffered one
death and 32 wounded sufficiently seriously to require evacuation to the
UK, and received more honours and awards than any other British unit,
including a DSO and an MC.
The Battalion was in
Cyprus for a fourth tour of duty 2004-2006 and then deployed to
Osnabruck for its third Germany posting.
On 1 July 2006 The
Queen's Lancashire Regiment amalgamated with the Kings Own Royal Border
and Kings Regiments to become The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, with the
1st Battalion re-badging as the 1st Battalion of the new regiment. |
